Check your flight status before heading to Delhi airport: Dense fog envelopes India's National Capital Region

After finally bringing operations back to normal following weeks of disruptions, IndiGo has issued a travel advisory to passengers after dense fog affected visibility across the National Capital Region on Wednesday

However, IndiGo is not the only airline to ask its passengers to check their flight status. Akasa Air and SpiceJet have issued similar advisories for passengers.

“As winter sets in, early mornings across Northern India can bring fog that may occasionally slow down flight movements. We wanted to share this gentle heads-up in advance, so you can plan with ease and check your flight status before heading to the airport,” IndiGo said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Akasa Air said, “Due to severe weather conditions in Northern India certain flights across our network have been impacted.”

Dense fog combined with hazardous pollution levels has sharply reduced visibility during the early morning hours, disrupting air traffic operations across the capital region.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 341 in Anand Vihar, while levels near the ITO area reached 360, placing both locations in the ‘very poor’ category. Although pollution eased slightly on Tuesday with stronger winds and dissipating fog, air quality remained unsafe, particularly for children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions.

IMD issues fog warning

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a dense fog warning for December 17. The agency said that isolated areas in Uttar Pradesh and East Madhya Pradesh may experience dense fog early in the morning.

Dense fog is also forecast across several other regions, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, West Madhya Pradesh, West Rajasthan and Odisha.

The weather department warned that sharply reduced visibility could disrupt road, rail and air travel, potentially causing delays. Commuters have been advised to drive cautiously, use fog lights, maintain safe distances and follow official weather advisories.